Egg packing material



T. H. ALFREDS EGG PACKING MATERAL Filed Dec. 7, 1946.

Get. 4, 1949.

Patented Oct. 4, 1949 2,483,607 EGG PACKING MATERIAL Torris H. Alfreds,Park Ridge, VIll., assignor to Mapes Consolidated Manufacturing Company,Griiiith, Inde., a corporation of Delaware Application December 7, 1946,Serial No. 714,714

This invention relates to improvements in egg packing material and itconsists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

Packing material of this kind, as now made, consists of a substantiallyflat rectangular sheetlike body, generally of molded pulp, of a size tot rather snugly in the compartment of an egg case. In some instances,such material is provided with right angled rows of relatively low, butupstanding egg seats, so spaced apart as to be disposed, one in eachsquare cel1 produced by the intersecting right angled strips of acellular ller used therewith. -Such material is packed one upon theother in a compressed stack and is so delivered to the egg packer. Beingsubstantially flat and pressed together, the individual units thereofare somewhat diiiicult to separate from the remainder in a stack and arealso diicult to pick up and handle, either in placing the same in orremoving it from an egg case compartment. Even though such material mayhave the egg seats mentioned, such seats are too low in height and towidely separated to make it an easy matter to pick up a single piece orunit of such material by grasping the seats, by means of thefingers,from above.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide packingmaterial of this kind in the form of a so-called pad which includespick-up projections that may be readily grasped by the fingers fromabove for an easier handling, either by one or both hands, in placingthe material in or removing it from an egg'case compartment when packingor unpacking the same, thereby making it easier for the personperforming these operations, and also speeding the operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide material of this kind,which permits the ready removal thereof, with the ller and containedeggs therein as a combined unit, from a packed egg case, when it isdesired to do so.

A further object of the invention is to provide material of this kindwhich may or may not have egg receiving seats thereon and which may bereadily separated from others in the same sta-ck and easily picked upsingly, using the fingers of either or both hands from above, forplacing in position in an egg case compartment. ,Y

Also, another object of the invention is to pro- 7 Claims. (Cl. 217-26)vide material of the kind mentioned, which includes parts whereby it maybe readily handled from above, and which parts are not only arrangedsymmetrically for stacking With Vothers without matching the arrangementof the margins thereof, but also form guides for receiving theintersecting portions of the strips of an aS- sociatedcellular ller in amanner guiding them into place on the material when the same is appliedthereto as Well as bracing the strips after they are in place thereon.

The above mentioned objects of the invention, as well as others,together with the advantages thereof, will more fully appear as thespecification proceeds.

In the drawings:

l Fig. 1 is a top plan view of egg packing material of the seatlesstype, embodying one form of the invention and shows one manner in whichthe pick up projections therefor may be symmetrically arranged thereon.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan vieW of a portion of the material inFig. '1, on an enlarged scale, and more particularly illustrates theshape and form of a group of pick up projections and the arrangementthereof relative to one intersection of a pair of right angled strips ofan v associated cellular iller.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view through a part of thematerial as taken on the line 3 3 and on the scale of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is another detail vertical sectional View through a part of thematerial, as taken 0n the line 4-4'and on the scale of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to and on the ,scale of Fig. l andshows the invention as applied to packing material having egg seatsthereon. u

Fig. 6 isV a fragmentary View on the scale of Fig. 2 and moreparticularly shows the shape and form of a group of pick up projectionswhen formed integral with associated egg seats.

Fig. 7 is a vertical detail sectional view as taken on the line 'l-l'and on the scale of Fig. 6.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustratedVin Figs. l to 4 inclusive of the accompanying drawing, the improvedmaterial includes a square at pad or body l0, preferably of molded pulpmaterial, of a size to have a relatively snug nt in the compartment of astandard egg case. When disposed in said compartment there is used withthe pad a cellular ller composed of sets of right angled intersectingstrips II and I2 respectively, which appear in dotted lines in Fig. 1.There are seven of such strips in each set and these form thirtysixsquare cell-like areas I3-I3, each to receive an egg. With stripsarranged as shown, the intersection of the strips in both sets aredisposed symmetrically with one of said intersections in the center ofthe body.

Associated with certain of said intersections is a group of upstandingpick-up projections, each group being indicated as a whole by thenumeral I4. Preferably one group of projections is disposed centrally ofthe pad or body and is associated with the intersection of the centralones of both sets of strips I I and I 2. The other groups of projectionsare disposed symmetrically with respect to the central one and withrespect to r the edges of the body. In Fig. 1, each of said other groupsof projections are shown as spaced two intersections away from saidcentral one. However other arrangements of said other groups ofprojections may be provided.

Each projection, in each group, has two sides I5 and I6respectivelyywhich at the base of the projection are parallel with theplane of the associated strips II and I2 and a third side I'I, which atthe base of the projection, is disposed angularly to said strips. Theside I'l has a concaved cross section. The sides I5 and I6 of eachprojection flare upwardly and outwardly from the base of the projectionand coact to define a channel-like space I8 (see Fig. 3) to accommodatethe i'lller strip portions between them. This space is widest at the topend which acts as a mouth to guide the strips into proper position inthe application of a ller to the top surface of the pad or packingmaterial, as when l packing an egg case therewith.

The sides I5, I6 and I'l of each projection, as well as a fourth orcorner portion I9 of each projection, converge toward the rounded top ofthe projection so that the projection has a somewhat irregular coneshape. Each projection is of such a height as tov terminate in a planebelow the top edge of the associated strips II and I2, as appears inFig. 3.

As is obvious from Fig. 2, the four concaved sides of the fourprojections in each group provide portions of substantial height orlength, which may be easily grasped by the thumb and three fingers ofthe hand for a good grip thereon and by which the pad as a whole may bereadily picked up and placed in position and this is so whether thechannels thereof are or are not occupied by the portions of the stripsIl and I2. Also, by reason of the conical shape of the projections, theprojections on one pad will nest with those of another and this withoutarranging any one particular edge of one pad with a particular edge ofanother pad, thus permitting random stacking.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the invention is illustrated as embodied in a padhaving egg receiving seats 2I thereon, arranged centrally, one withineach space or area I3, as dened by the strips II and I2 of the filler.In this instance each egg receiving seat is shown as being of circularshape,

, but other shapes may be used. The seat is so formed as to include anupwardly and inwardly tapering outer wall 22 and a concaved top 23 thatjoin together as an annular ridge 24 as best appears in Fig. 7. Y

Associated with certain groups of four adjacent seats disposed about thesame intersection of the strips as in Fig. 1, is a group of fourprojections Ida. In this instance each projection rises from a part ofthe egg seat and includes the sides I5a, I6a and I'Ia respectively andcorner portion I9a. The sides I5a and ISa of each projection merge attheir bottom into the ridge 24 and a part of the side Wall 22 of theassociated seat, While the side I'Ia merges into the concaved top of theegg seat, as best appears in Figs. 6 and 7.

The projections extend a considerable distance above the ridge. of theassociated seat and afford portions that may be readily grasped by thefingers from above.

In Figs. 1 and 5 the pad is shown as provided with ve symmetricallydisposed groups of finger graspable projections and one of saidprojections is disposed in the center of the pad. If only one group ofsuch projections is to be employed in the pad, it will preferably bedisposed centrally thereof so that the pads will nest together forpacking the pads in a stack, in random fashion.

By means of the arrangement described, the pads may be more readilygrasped for handling not only in separating one from the others in astack, but also for handling in placing the pad in or removing it froman egg case compartment.

While in describing the invention I have referred in detail to the form,construction and arrangement of the parts. of the material or pad. thesame is to be considered only in the illustrative sense so that I do notwish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth inthe appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally atbody portion of a size for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engaged on the upper side thereof by the edges of aconventional cellular ller composed of sets of intersecting strips,which in operative position on said upper side of the body portion arearranged at a right angle to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, egg receiving seats rising from said side of the bodyportion and arranged thereon to be disposed centrally one in eachcell-like area and projections. rising from parts of the seats in thecorners of at least tWo adjacent cell-like areas at one of theintersections of at least two right angled strips of the filler, saidprojections extending to an elevation above the top of the associatedegg seats whereby the same may be grasped Y by the ngers, from above,for supporting said member when handling the same.

2. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally flatbody portion cfa size for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engaged on the upper side thereof by the edges of. aconventional. cellular ller composed of sets of intersecting strips,which in operative position on said upper side of the body portion arearranged at a right angle to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, egg receiving seats rising from said side of the bodyportion and arranged thereon to be disposed centrally one ineachcell-like area'anfl projections rising from parts of the seats in thecorners of at least two adjacent cell-like areas at one of theintersections of at least two 'right angled strips. of the ller, saidprojectionsextending to an elevation above the top of the associated eggseats, but not higher thantheassociated iiller strip, whereby the samemay be grasped by the fingers, from above, for supporting said memberwhen handling the same.

3. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally flatbody portion of a size for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engaged on the upper side thereof by the edges of aconventional cellular ller composed of sets of intersecting strips,which in operative position on said upper side of the body portion arearranged at a right angle to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, egg receiving seats rising from said side of the bodyportion and arranged thereon to be disposed centrally one in eachcell-like area and projections rising Ifrom parts of the seats in eachof the four corners of four adjacent cell-like areas grouped about theintersection of at least two right angled strips of the filler, saidprojections extending at an elevation above the top of the associatedegg seats to be easily grasped by the fingers, from above, forsupporting said member when handling the same.

4. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally flatbody portion of a size -for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engageable on the upper side thereof by the edges of aconventional cellular filler composed of sets of intersecting strips,which in the operative position on said upper side of the body portionare arranged at right angles to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, and a plurality of sets of upward projections risingfrom said side of said body portion, in a group of corners arrangedsymmetrically with reference to all edges of the body portions, each setof projections comprising four projections disposed in the corners offour adjacent cell-like areas at the intersection of associated rightangled strips of the filler, said projections being of a height not morethan that of the filler.

5. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally flatbody portion of a size for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engaged on the upper side thereof by the edges of aconventional cellular ller composed of sets of intersectiong strips,which in operative position on said upper side of the body portion arearranged at a right angle to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, and projections rising from said side of the bodyportion in the corners of at least two adjacent cell-like areas at oneof said intersections of at least two right angled strips of the filler,each projection having at least two sides that parallel adjacent stripsof the filler and a third side disposed angularly to said strips, all ofsaid sides tapering toward each other at the top, said projections beingof a height not greater than that of the ller.

6. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally atbody portion of a size for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engaged on the upper side thereof by the edges of aconventional cellular ller composed of sets of intersecting strips,which in operative position on said upper side of the body portion arearranged at a right angle to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, and a set of four projections rising from said side ofthe body portion in the corners of four adjacent cell-like areas at oneoi said intersections of at least two right angled strips of the ller,each projection having at least two sides that parallel adjacent stripsof the filler and a third side disposed angularly to said strips, all ofsaid sides of each projection tapering toward each other at the top,said projections being of a height not greater than that of the filler.

'7. A packing member embodying therein a rectangular and generally atbody portion of a size for use in a compartment of a packing case andadapted to be engaged on the upper side thereof by the edges of aconventional cellular filler composed of sets of intersecting strips,which in operative position on said upper side of the body portion arearranged at a right angle to each other and form a plurality ofcell-like areas, and projections rising from said side of the bodyportion in the corners of at least two adjacent cell-like areas at oneof said intersections of at least two right angled strips of the ller,each projection having at least two sides that parallel adjacent stripsof the ller and a third side disposed angularly to said strips, andhaving a concaved surface considered cross sectionally in a planeparallel the plane of the seat, all of said sides tapering toward eachother at the top, said projections being of a height not greater thanthat of the ller.

TORRIS I-I. ALFREDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,445,780 Mann et al. Feb. 20,1923 2,124,464 Foote July 19, 1938 2,277,537 Alfreds Mar. 24, 1942

